Hero. Traitor. Whistle-Blower. Spy. What to Call NSA Leaker Ed Snowden?

[struggle4progress]

By RUSSELL GOLDMAN
June 11, 2013

... The term "whistle-blower" has been used broadly by his defenders ...

Federal law broadly protects whistle-blowers with one exception, employees who are privy to the nation's secrets, said Professor Richard E. Moberly, associate dean of the University of Nebraska College of Law ...

Under the law, intelligence employees have their own system to report activity they believe violates the law or is unethical. Employees are instructed to report wrongdoing to Congress or their agency's inspector general, Moberly said ...

"A whistle-blower is a person who exposes wrongdoing. It's not a person who simply asserts that what he has uncovered is illegal or immoral," wrote AP standards editor Tom Kent ...

http://abcnews.go.com/US/nsa-leaker-edward-snowden-whistle-blower/story?id=19374578

[Laelth]

1. I am fond of "Mr. Snowden."

That seems most accurate to me.



-Laelth

[atreides1]

2. You're right

[struggle4progress]

4. That at least sidesteps any possible confusion about his first name:

... They are shocked that their former neighbor, and someone they tried to get to know is the person who's allegedly leaked top secret information about U.S. Government surveillance programs ...
Former neighbors of Andrew Snowden say he didn't speak to anyone
Published 9:15 PM HST Jun 09, 2013

[Shivering Jemmy]

3. Why call him anything?

He's probably a lot of things rolled into one. Like everybody.

[tblue]

5. I am not about to side with Big Brother.

Big Brother doesn't need my help.

[pmorlan1]

6. Same MO

Let's see, I remember when the corporate media decided to call torture, enhanced interrogation techniques. I'm not surprised that they are now following the same process to call a whistleblower by another name.

[BillyRibs]

7. Boner and DiFi Say

He's a traitor! That means he's a Hero to me!

[struggle4progress]

8. I myself prefer a less kneejerk approach to labelling folk traitors or heroes